


Guideposts

by Larathia



Category: She-Ra: Princess Of Power
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-25
Updated: 2014-09-25
Packaged: 2018-02-18 17:39:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2356892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Larathia/pseuds/Larathia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little afterword (and worldbuilding?) after "The Sword in the Stone".</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guideposts

Glimmer was still more than a bit dazed when Adora and Kowl returned to camp with Bow.

“It was amazing!” Bow gushed happily, as relieved rebels set down their work to come over to them, and make sure they were all okay. “She-Ra got past the forcefield by tunneling _under_ the whole building. And she ripped my cell bars open like they were twigs – so much for the 'strongest metal in the galaxy', Hordak probably got them from a scrapyard.”

Kowl rolled its eyes and was going to chide Bow, but Adora smiled and quietly said, “Oh, let him have his moment. He did spend all day being a Horde prisoner,” as she made her way to Glimmer's tent.

“Yes, but _you_ spent all day climbing mountains,” protested Kowl. “And dodging spiked balls and falling rocks and spikes and -”

Adora shook her head. “Hush, Kowl,” she said gently. 

Glimmer was sitting up, at least. She still looked dazed, and smelled a bit of ozone, but for having her own stun beams amplified a hundredfold and then shot back at her, she looked pretty good. “Oh, Adora!” she smiled. “Bow's all right? I think I can hear him outside...”

Adora took a seat at Glimmer's bedside, smiling. “Yes, he's happy to tell the tale to everyone who will listen. And a few people that were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” She put a light hand on Glimmer's collarbone as the younger woman tried to get up. “And he'll be more than happy to repeat every word for you once you've recovered. You should stay right here, and rest.”

“I heard She-Ra fell after the Balloon was destroyed,” said Glimmer unhappily. “Only Bow's seen her since. She's all right? That Balloon's beams were _really_ powerful.”

Adora smiled, taking Glimmer's hand between both of hers. “I promise, Glimmer. She's fine. Kowl and I went out to make sure.  _You_ need to rest. I'll ask Bow to come in here and tell you his story personally, if you promise to stay in bed and rest.”

“All right,” said Glimmer, a bit uncertainly, squeezing Adora's hands before letting go to settle back. “Boy, I really screwed up this time.”

Adora thought about the moment she'd realized  _she'd broken the Sword_ , that she couldn't become She-Ra again, and patted Glimmer's arm reassuringly. “I think maybe everyone overreached a bit this time,” she said. “But we got through it.”

Glimmer's eyes closed. “Yeah, we got lucky...” she said, sleepy now.

“No, my dear friend,” Adora reassured. “Luck had nothing to do with it.” She got up, heading outside to let Glimmer rest.

“You know it _was_ luck,” Kowl hissed from a branch. “You could have _died_ climbing Skydancer Mountain – everyone else did! And how could you _know_ the shield would skid down the stairs faster than the spike ball? And any one of those falling rocks and spikes could have hit you – never mind _walking into the Cavern of Fire_ , how did you not get burned? I thought you were going to die at least a dozen times today.”

Adora slipped off into the dark of the Whispering Woods, letting Bow regale the rebel camp with his tale of She-Ra's heroics. “It wasn't luck, Kowl,” she repeated quietly. “I think it was the First Ones.”

Kowl flapped along silently beside her. “The people in the Cavern of Fire?”

“Light Hope called them the 'founders of Etheria',” Adora said. “And...I don't think they repaired the Sword. I think... _I_ did.”

“Of course they fixed the sword,” Kowl huffed. “Or what did you go through all that danger for?”

In the privacy of the trees, Adora drew her sword, studying the jewel. Her brother's sword didn't have a jewel. Nothing to be cracked or broken or pried loose or lost. But her brother couldn't do half the things with his sword that she could do with hers. And his powers were also less; he couldn't communicate telepathically, or heal. Greater power, but apparently greater vulnerability.

“I think the sword has to draw on ...the heart? Probably the heart, of its wielder,” Adora mused. “It can't enhance something that isn't there. For me to fix the sword, I had to show everything She-Ra is, _in me_ , as far as I can go. To climb the mountain everyone says is unclimbable, showed I have her bravery. Using the shield to outrun the spike ball, showed I was clever – wise, was the word they used. I had to be quick to avoid the rock fall, and agile to avoid the falling spikes. And it couldn't be for _me_. I had to face it all for someone else, for someone I had to save, because that's what She-Ra is for. To defend those that can't defend themselves, to save those who can't save themselves.”

Kowl huffed. “Sounds like  _someone_ is getting a puffed  _ego_ ,” he chided, and Adora laughed.

“Oh, I don't think so, Kowl. I ache all over and I would give anything right now for a long hot bath. But it all turned out all right. Bow's safe. Glimmer's safe. And the Sword is good as new.”

“But what if Hordak makes another Doom Balloon?” asked Kowl. “If you _are_ right then you won't be able to repair the Sword by going back to the First Ones next time. The method as you described it doesn't work if you know that's what you're doing.”

Adora leaned tiredly against a tree. Her eyes were heavy as lead. It had  _really_ been a long day. And she'd done most of it as herself, not the indefatigable goddess that was She-Ra. “I think I needed to know that the power I've been given has limits, Kowl. I really shouldn't have used the Sword as itself to send the Balloon's energy back. I could have used a mirror, or turned the Sword to a shield and gotten a much better effect with less risk. But I didn't think, because I didn't think it was a risk.”

“That Balloon nearly torched the Whispering Woods,” Kowl pointed out. “And Glimmer. If you can't stop it, that's a problem.”

Adora summoned a smile for her fretting friend. “That's how Hordak would think,” she said. “The Balloon failed. He won't think, 'how do I make this work'. He'll scrap the whole project because it failed this time, and try something else. He doesn't realize how close he came to winning – let's hope he never does.”

Kowl blinked its big yellow eyes. “Good thing you didn't,” he said firmly.

“For me, problems aren't stop signs,” said Adora. “They're guideposts. Let's go find a hot spring.”


End file.
